Flexural behavior of PVA‐FRC GFRP reinforced concrete beams

Abstract

Fiber reinforced concrete beams are a popular research topic because of the improvement in the performance of concrete beams with fibers. PVA‐FRC GFRP reinforced concrete beams have better mechanical properties than those of ordinary reinforced concrete beams when considering the combination of multidirectional material properties. This article presents the results of an experimental study on the flexural behavior of PVA‐FRC GFRP reinforced concrete beams. Seven GFRP concrete beams were tested. The test variables included the PVA fiber content and GFRP diameter. The test results indicated that the existence of GFRP bars is effective for enhancing the load‐carrying capacity of RC beams and that PVA fibers can substantially inhibit the development of cracks in PVA‐FRC GFRP reinforced concrete beams and increase the midspan deflection. The experimental midspan deflection and maximum crack widths are also compared with theoretical predictions using new guidelines from the American Concrete Institute. Finally, the maximum crack correction formula for PVA‐FRC GFRP reinforced concrete beams is proposed.

Enhanced interfacial and mechanical properties of glass fabric/epoxy composites via grafting silanized carbon nanotubes onto the fibers

“…Benefitting from the light weight, high strength, designability, corrosion resistance, and cost effectiveness, glass fiber reinforced polymer composites (GFRP) have been increasingly used as a structural component in the construction, renovation, reinforcement and rehabilitation of infrastructure. [1][2][3][4][5] Through the innovative design of structural systems, GFRP can partially replace steel and concrete in manufacturing various composite structures, such as concrete-filled GFRP tube, GFRP reinforced concrete, 6 GFRP-balsa wood, Àfoam or -honeycomb sandwich structure, 7 which revolutionizes the design, functional integration and cost control of civil and building structures. 8 However, GFRP components are still not immune to some failure problems in service, such as interfacial debonding and delamination between layers, which severely limit the long-term performance and service life of GFRP.…”